Anyone else not doing Christmas this year?

[Wifezilla]

Not sure how the Pagans celebrate "Christmas"....bonfires and hotdogs?

Well you got the bonfire part right

As EweSheep pointed out many of the traditions associated with a "christian" christmas are actually warmed over pagan traditions. Christmas trees, holy, mistletoe, gift exchanging, parties this time of year, etc... all predate christianity.

http://www.christmas-tree.com/where.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm

Now, that being said, I celebrate this time of year. Friends, family, charity, etc... Whatever your reason, ENJOY the season

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Well you got the bonfire part right

As EweSheep pointed out many of the traditions associated with a "christian" christmas are actually warmed over pagan traditions. Christmas trees, holy, mistletoe, gift exchanging, parties this time of year, etc... all predate christianity.

http://www.christmas-tree.com/where.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm

Now, that being said, I celebrate this time of year. Friends, family, charity, etc... Whatever your reason, ENJOY the season

Yah, they didn't have a lot of fir trees, mistletoe, and holly garlands in Jerusalem. That right there oughtta tell you something.

It's like the people who think humans are not meant to eat animals or meat. Um.. scuze me, but herbivores have wide, square teeth, they do not have canines for cutting/chewing/tearing meat. We have meat-eating teeth, the way God designed us (whatever/whomever you believe God to be). You don't need a bunch of scientific studies of human biology to try to determine if we were meant to be herbivores or omnivores... all you have to do is look at the human face. The answer is right there in your smile.

(Vegans make me crazy...... LOL)

 

[SillyChicken]

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I know it is hard, but you are already Blessed. My mom lived with me for 6yrs, before she passed, So I know it is one of the HARDEST jobs a person can have. But now that she is gone , I miss her but feel blessed that I got the privledge of Taking care of her. And my daughter learned so much from the experience. So remember all the good times and have A Merry Christmas !!

and to add you know your parents are getting the best care ever! This time will pass and you'll be able to resume a life for yourself. PS, you don't need a husband to make your life happy and complete! Accept yourself, love yourself and you'll be surprised what life will bring your way.......sometimes it's right under your nose!

 

[redhen]

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My dad was married to a Jewish woman for 15 years. A dear friend of mine is part japanese and a budhist. I have friends that are pagan, born again christian, and atheist. I say HAPPY HOLIDAYS because I am not so arrogant as to think that the traditions I was raised with are the only ones. I guess you will have to stay out of my store because even though we have products that do say merry christmas, we also have things that say happy holidays and : gasp : season's greetings!! The HORROR!

P.S. According to biblical scholars, Jesus was either born in spring (that is when shepherds would have been in the fields tending their flocks, or calculated by dates mentioned, sometime in September. They do agree however, that he wasn't born in December.

"The early Christian church did not celebrate Jesus' birth. It wasn't until A.D. 440 that the church officially proclaimed December 25 as the birth of Christ. This was not based on any religious evidence but on a pagan feast. Saturnalia was a tradition inherited by the Roman pagans from an earlier Babylonian priesthood. December 25 was used as a celebration of the birthday of the sun god. It was observed near the winter solstice.

The apostles in the Bible predicted that some Christians would adopt pagan beliefs to enable them to make their religion more palatable to the pagans around them. Therefore, some scholars think the church chose the date of this pagan celebration to interest them in Christianity. The pagans were already used to celebrating on this date.

The Bible itself tells us that December 25 is an unlikely date for His birth. Palestine is very cold in December. It was much too cold to ask everyone to travel to the city of their fathers to register for taxes. Also the shepherds were in the fields (Luke 2:8-12). Shepherds were not in the fields in the winter time. They are in the fields early in March until early October. This would place Jesus' birth in the spring or early fall. It is also known that Jesus lived for 33.5 years and died at the feast of the Passover, which is at Easter time. He must therefore have been born six months the other side of Easter - making the date around the September/October time frames.

Other evidence that December 25 is the wrong date for the birth of Jesus comes from early writings. Iranaeus, born about a century after Jesus, notes that Jesus was born in the 41st year of the reign of Augustus. Since Augustus began his reign in the autumn of 43 B.C., this appears to substantiate the birth of Jesus as the autumn of 2 B.C. Eusebius (A.D. 264-340), the "Father of Church History," ascribes it to the 42nd year of the reign of Augustus and the 28th from the subjection of Egypt on the death of Anthony and Cleopatra. The 42nd year of Augustus ran from the autumn of 2 B.C. to the autumn of 1 B.C. The subjugation of Egypt into the Roman Empire occurred in the autumn of 30 B.C. The 28th year extended from the autumn of 3 B.C. to the autumn of 2 B.C. The only date that would meet both of these constraints would be the autumn of 2 B.C."
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-faq.htm

PAGANS are the reason for the season

See..i knew i was right.

 

[silkydragon]

lol i wont be celebrating christmas this yr not by choice but im leaving for bootcamp on the 14th

 

[featherbaby]

Thank you L.A.Mom and Sillychicken for your kind words. Sometimes I lose perspective when I'm in the middle of the stress. Sort of like the saying: "It's hard to remember you are there to drain the swamp, when you're up to your a$$ in alligators!"

I know my parents are getting the best care, and that's what I want for them. I also know that this isn't about "me" right now, it's about them. Even with that knowledge, my innate selfishness is being tested severely right now. My self control is winning, but it's a bloody battle. You are right about the 'husband' issue. My girlfriends relationship problems have given me a glimpse of reality that reminds me I'm better off single in many ways. I'm just trying to get my heart to go along with the logic. HA!

I will be glad when the season for merrymaking is past so I won't be constantly tempted to feel sorry for myself when I see people happily celebrating, pairing up and doing 'couples-things' or just feeling things I used to at this time of year. In the meantime, I'm trying not to whine.

 

[ebwy2]

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this. whatever you celebrate, make it meaningful to yourself.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

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Halo, isn't THAT what it's all about? Blessings on your decision to get real about Christmas.

 

[Dunkopf]

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Thank you for your service.

Why did you schedule it for 10 days before Christmas? I remember boot camp. It was one of the loneliest times of my life. I wrote letters every day. I hated going to church, but I actually went to church and enjoyed it while I was in boot camp.

Have a good time and don't get discouraged. It's all just programming and only last 13 weeks. When you march in your commencement parade you will feel some pride at a hard job well done.

Ten days in. You'll still be in the hardest phase. Have a nice Christmas or whatever it is to you.

 

[Dunkopf]

There are a lot of really nice things being said on this thread. Even though a lot of people on here are not Christian, a lot of you really act a lot like what the message attributed to Jesus was all about. Lot of good vibes.